Explained: UK's Safety Of Rwanda Bill And Why It Is Controversial

The deportation scheme, for asylum seekers deemed to have entered the UK "illegally", was first proposed in 2022 as a way of tackling "small boats" crossings of the Channel from northern France.

The Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill 2023, which parliament has approved, is the UK government's latest attempt to deport asylum seekers to the east African country as part of efforts to cut irregular immigration, after previous attempts were ruled illegal.

The deportation scheme, for asylum seekers deemed to have entered the UK "illegally", was first proposed in 2022 as a way of tackling "small boats" crossings of the Channel from northern France.

So far this year 6,265 people have been picked up trying to make the journey and brought ashore, taking to more than 120,500 the total number of people detected in small boats since 2018.